Auburn Parent Teacher Club embezzlement case moves forward

The case of a former Auburn Elementary School Parent Teacher Club president accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the non-profit organization is moving closer to preliminary hearing.

Traci Bucher, 37, was arrested in August 2011 and charged with a felony count of embezzlement. She was released after posting $5,000 bail shortly after the arrest and her case has been moving through the Placer County Court system since then.

Court records on Wednesday showed Bucher is due to make another courtroom appearance in North Auburn on May 19. Further out, Judge Mark Curry’s court has slated May 31 as a date for assigning the case to a Placer County courtroom for a preliminary hearing. The hearing would determine whether the case would go to trial and is expected to take a day.

According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation led to the allegations that Bucher misappropriated between $2,200 and $4,200 from the club. The club provides funding for student activities at the school that are not funded in the Auburn Union School District budget.